Guilty Plea Possible in 2013 Salvation Army Collapse

The crane operator accused of causing the Salvation Amy collapse that killed six people and injured six others may plead this week.

“According to sources close to the case, crane operator Sean Benschop may enter a plea at a hearing Tuesday morning,” CBS 3 reports. “The 43-year-old faces multiple counts of Third Degree Murder, which carry a potential life sentence.”

The Inquirer adds: “A guilty plea by Benschop could be logical after May’s hearing where (his lawyer) tried unsuccessfully to prevent prosecutors from using post-collapse blood tests that showed Benschop had a chemical component of marijuana and traces of a prescription narcotic in his blood. That evidence could make it likely a trial jury would find him guilty of the six counts of third-degree murder he faces. Under Pennsylvania law, prosecutors may seek a sentence of life in prison without parole for anyone convicted of more than one count of third-degree murder.”